Sources: Cuomo tried to keep New York public labor heads off DNC delegate list (Updated)

5/24/12 1:04 PM EDT

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo had tried to keep the heads of four major New York state public sector unions off the list of Democratic National Committee at-large delegates, finally agreeing to add three of them late last night after a string of negotiations, multiple sources told POLITICO.

A top Cuomo aide insisted that the issue was the number of available slots, adding that there are set quotas allowed by national Democrats in terms of how many people from specific political groups can make it on. Cuomo ultimately picks the at-large delegates who will attend the North Carolina convention this summer. Another source insisted Cuomo never tried to block anyone.

"Everyone wants to be on and there are only so many slots," the aide said. "We worked it out where most of the public and private unions that wanted to go are on and everyone seems happy."

The happiness question remains an open one, according to several New York-based sources. But the additions to the list were made late Wednesday after wrangling and phone work to the governor, the sources said. The four were initially expected to be on the list, after months of haggling and pushback by Cuomoland sources said. But they were removed within the last few days.

While the four people in question are not the only public sector union heads in the state, they represent the biggest ones, and are the major players.

Some of those who were added on only had it happen after they called the governor, the sources said.

"It's like opening the communications gate (for) the moment," said one source of the phone calls.

Cuomo has tangled with the public-sector unions since his election in 2010. For months, his camp not wanted the four - District Council 37 head Lillian Roberts, Public Employees Federation head Ken Brynien, New York State Civil Service Employees Associaion and State AFL-CIO vice president Danny Donohue, and State United Teachers President Richard Ianuzzi - on the list, according to sources.

As of today, Roberts, Brynien and Ianuzzi were on, but Donohue is not, and may not make it. Donohue has not called Cuomo.

All have tangled with the governor, though Donohue's been especially tough in his criticism recently accusing state lawmakers who his union has backed of submitting to Cuomo's pension reform plan to avoid having their districts redrawn unfavorably.

UPDATE: Liz Benjamin has more here, including on the fact that Cuomoland explicitly let it be known to the labor leaders that they needed to call and essentially pay respects to get put back on.

This whole incident is sort of a reminder of why Cuomo, despite his creds on gay marriage, is by no means a lock with the liberal base of the Democratic party, which is heavily fueled by the very unions he has done intense battle with over the years.